Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey football team raced out to a 17-7 halftime lead before succumbing to a second half surge from Montclair State University, falling 21-17 Saturday afternoon. The Lions fall to 0-5, and 0-4 in New Jersey Athletic Conference Play. The Red Hawks improve to 3-2 a nd are 3-1 in the NJAC.
 
The teams opened the game swapping interceptions, the latter coming when Sam Jackson (Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional) stepped in front of a fade pass in the end zone for his third pick of the season. The very next play Trevor Osler (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) hit the man who is quickly becoming his new favorite target in Thomas Koenig (Bayville, NJ/Central Regional). Koenig hauled in the pass in stride at the Montclair 40-yard line and out-raced the entire defense to put the Lions up 7-0. Osler would throw for a career-high 308 yards.
 
Following a three-and-out from the Red Hawks, Osler drove the Lions into the red zone, where again he turned to Koenig, floating a pass to the back left corner of the endzone, where Koenig made the toe-tapping catch to extend the advantage to 14-0. One game after setting a career-high with 142 receiving yards, Koenig one-upped himself hauling in 10 balls for a new career-high 181 yards and the pair of touchdowns.
 
The Red Hawks responded with a touchdown run by Willie Barr on the first play of the second half to cut the Lions lead in half. TCNJ would get a 40-yard field goal from Zach Pharo (Marlton, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) with eight seconds remaining in the first half to hold a 17-7 at halftime.
 
The Red Hawks received the second half kickoff and drove 75-yards, culminating in a 7-yard TD pass to fullback Brian Kowalczyk. Later in third, Barr took in a screen pass on third-and-ten. Barr turned and saw nothing bun green, racing for his second touchdown of the game and what would become the deciding score.
 
The Lions had one final opportunity driving inside the Montclair 25-yardline with just under two minutes remaining, but on a fourth-down play Jabari Ray Garvin intercepted a desperation pass to ice the game for the Red Hawks.
 
Xavier Santos (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) led TCNJ with nine tackles including a pair made behind the line of scrimmage.
 
TCNJ will travel to Rowan University next Saturday for a game against the Profs beginning at 2:00 PM.